Well where to begin. I was born in Gwangju which is located in South Jeolla province. I love my hometown and it is famous for its role in the fight for democracy in Korea and also hosts the largest Arts festival. After completing high school I was overawed by all the options and decided to take some time out to travel and explore the world.

My first port of call was Europe, where I visited many countries including England, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and the Czech Republic. I loved Europe because there were so many different cultures and countries that were accessible and that there was so much history there. One problem I found was communication. Everyone seems to speak so many different languages and English was always one of them.

After returning home to Korea I decided to dedicate myself to learning English before going to University. I went to the Philippines as this way I could continue my travels and learn English. It was fascinating to spend so much time in another Asian county. The Philippines and Korea are so different. I learned so much about the culture, food and history of the Philippines. I learned English and Tagalog in the Philippines and I started to realize just how difficult it can be to learn a foreign language. I can now understand how hard it is for westerners when they first come to Korea.

Upon finishing my studies in the Philippines, I decided I was ready to live in a English speaking country as that was the only way I was really going to grasp the language. After weighing up the options, I decided to head to Sydney, Australia as I loved the warm weather and beaches of the Philippines. I had such an exciting time in Sydney. I met so many people from so many different countries and cultures. I really enjoyed myself as I love meeting new people and learning about different places and people from all over the world. Finally after becoming as fluent as I possibly could in English, I returned to Korea to further my education.

I studied Tourism in Jeju perhaps the most touristy place in Korea!! I wanted to stay by the ocean during my studies and see for myself the tourist industry at first hand. It was a great experience and I worked part time as a translator for International conferences that were regularly held in Jeju. It was interesting to meet some of the business travelers as they had a very different way of looking at my country. I really enjoyed living in Jeju it’s so different to Peninsular Korea. It’s amazing to see and learn about different areas of my own county.

Following my graduation I was pleased to find that I had been selected as one of the top students of the year and had won the annual speech contest. For my endeavors I was sent to Canada to a language school located near Niagara Falls. I was so excited to be traveling to another continent. Canada was very interesting as I knew many Canadian English Teachers in Korea and it was so exciting to see there country. I also think it gave me a greater understanding of the differences between life in Korea and Northern America. This experience I believe has taught me how I can help teachers coming from America and Canada overcome some of the difficulties in living and teaching here in Korea.

Coming back to Korea I decided to move to Seoul and to try and use my English skills and help people who are interested and curious about teaching English in Korea. I have been working at Englishwork as a recruitment consultant for almost 2 years now and I have loved every minute of it. I enjoy speaking to foreigners and using my English to try and find them employment here in Korea. I enjoy meeting people from different countries and believe I can help them overcome some of the difficulties they might face when moving to and living in Korea. I hope that I can help any open minded people in achieving their goal of teaching English in South Korea.

Ashley You
ashley@englishwork.com

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